Water heater



Junel 10, 1930. R. E. NEwl-:LL

WATER HEATER Filed Nov. 6, 1926 vx @f W I Patented I.lune 10, 1930PATENT oFFl'cE ROBERT E. NEWELL, F IRWIN, PENNSYLVANIA WATER HEATERApplication filed November 6, 1926. Serial No. 146,661.

My invention relates to water heaters, and more particularly to thosesuitable for heating water for domestic uses, although it will y beVunderstood that the invention may be employed in various other types ofsystems.

One form of .water heater heretofore employed comprises a storage tankinto which the upper and lower ends of a heating coil are tapped, aburner being placed under the heating coil. Water from the tank passesinto the lower end of the coil and is caused to flow upwardlytherethrough and back into t-he tank, by reasonof the action ofthe heat.This arrangement is objectionable, particularly where hard water isemployed, by

reason of the fact thatlime or other scale deposits accumulate upon theinterior of the coil to such an extent as to interfere with thecirculation of the water and to reduce the efficiency of the heaterbecause of the heat insulating effect produced by the scale.Furthermore, the coil may become clogged and result in explosions.

Another type of heater comprises a system wherein circulating coils arebrought into contact with a burner flame and with a body of water to beheated, the water within the coils not commingling with the body ofwater to be heated, but in many of these heaters suitable provision hasnot been made for expansion and contraction, nor for balancing ofpressure as between the two bodies of water.

In the latter type of heater, that portion of the coil or systemthatlies within and transfers heat to the main body of water, becomesencrusted on'its exterior surface, by reason V of mineral deposits fromthe main body of water, with the result that therel is a less effectivetransfer of heat, and the water with- 40 in the coils maybecome toohighly heated, and an excessive quantity of steam thereby developedtherein.

One object of my invention is to provide a heating apparatus of simpleform, wherein various of the above named objections are eliminated.

Another object of my invention is to provide an indirect water-heatingsystem wherein there is balanced pressures and the water in thecirculating coils is prevented from commingling with the body of waterbeing heated. i y

i Another object of my invention' is to pro- Vide a simple and effectivearrangement V whereby water in the circulating coils will beautomatically maintained at predetermined volume.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an arrangement ofcirculating coilsone within a hot water tank, and one' conto nected tothe first named coil and positioned over a burner-that areinterchangeable so that an exteriorly encrusted coil from the interiorof the heater may be transferred to a position above the burner, topermit the scale to be burned away.

A further object of my invention is to simplify and improve thestructural details of water-heating systems.

Some of the forms which my invention may take are shown in theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is an elevational view, partiallyin section, of a heating system embodying one form of my invention, andFig.

2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of 75 a portion of theapparatus of Fig. l.

Referring now to Figs. l and 2, I show a hot-water storage tank 5, thatis provided with the usual cold-water inlet 6, and a hotwater outlet 7.A heater casing 8 comprises 80 a gas burner 9 and a heat-receiving coil10 that communicates, through connections to be hereinafter described,with a heat transfer coil 11. These two coils serve as a heat circulating system.

The upper end of the coil 11 is connected through a pipe union 1:2 to anipple 13. The inner end of the nipple 13 has screw-threaded connectionwith the flared upper end portion 14 of the coil 11. The tank 5 isprovided 90 with an opening for the nipple 13, and a metallic gasket orspud 15 has its edges reamed over to snugly engage the walls of thetank.

A packing ring or gasket 16 of brass, or other suitable material that ispreferably softer than the gasket 15, is bevelled at its forward y edge,and is forced inward into snug engage:

' ment with the Spud 15 and the exterior wall of thef'nipple 13, by anut 17, so as to make a water-tight j ont. The lower end of the coil isconnected to the lower end of the coil 11,

and to the wall of the tank 5, in substantially the, same manner asshown in Fig. 2.

Not only is the supply of water in the coils -10 and 11 automaticallymaintained through the communicating c onduit 20, but such conduitinsures a balancing of pressures as be- .t'ween the water'within thetank 5 and that within the coils, so that in case of a leak in the coil11, or its connections which lie within the tank' 5, thesediment-containing water Within the coils will not be intermingled withthe main body of water. rIhe pipe is preferably extended upward for somedistance,

and the water contained therein will therefore be of substantially thesame temperature as the. main body of water, so that any tendency of theheated water within the coils to 4 ass from the upper end of the coil 11into the Since the ody of Water will be overcome. displacement withinthe pipe 20, by reason of expansion and contraction is small, there willordinarily be no flow of 'water'from the coil to the main body of waternor no interchange of Water in the reverse direction.

In assembling the apparatus, the coil l1 may be conveniently insertedthrough a hand hole opening in the bottom of the tank 5, that has acover 21', and is then connected up to the other parts ofthe system asshown in Fig. 2.

' This arrangement also permits the convenient'removal of the coil l11in case it becomes encrusted by deposits from the main body, of water.The positions ofthel coils 10 and 11 can therefore be reversed so'thatthe coilll4 will be above the burner 9 and the exterior deposits therebyburned away. Scale deposits A within the coils 10 and 11 willibe slightover a considerableperiod of time'because a given volume of water iscirculated therethroughv many times, being slightly replenished onlyoccasionally, and such volume of water can contain only a small amountof scale-forming 'i material.

By locating the coil Hl1 near the bottom of f the boiler,"`there is lesstendency for scale to accumulate thereon, because the lower por; tion ofthe body of water is cooler than 'that in the upper part of the tank.

I claim as my invention :-v

In water heater structure, the combination with a storage tank and acombustion cham- .ber, of a .circulating system com rising a conduitincluding heat-transfieran heat-re- 'coi N Ewliu., have hereunto setmhand.

ceiving sections disposed within said tank and combustion chamber,respectively, the said sections being detachably connected together, andof such form as to .pemit the interchaznge thereof.

In testimony whereof `I, the said ROBERT E.

` A ROBERT NEWELL. y

